Argumentative Essay On Food Stamps

The federal government administered the food stamp program in an attempt to aid those with little to no income in acquiring food. The object of food stamps is to put food on the table for many families who don’t have the money to do it on their own by giving them monthly benefits. The use of food stamps is rapidly growing due to the growth rate of recipients in the program. Because of this growth, there is a visible spike in the funding for food stamps. This unnecessary funding for food stamps has increased the government spending to an all-time high. The assistance gained from food stamps is detrimental to our society.
The number of food stamp benefits received by a household is dependent on the income, the number of people and the number of expenses paid a month. Several families get around these requirements by using a policy that is essentially a loophole. One of these loopholes is known as the
Studies show that in some cases, obesity is linked to participation in food stamps. The targeted group in this study is nonelderly women. According to Ploeg and Ralston, these women account for “28 percent of the food stamp caseload” (3). The amount of weight gained is dependent on the amount of time one has participated in the program. The food stamp program allows one to become food secure, leading to an overall gain of two pounds according to one study. Another study shows that overweight food stamp participants were more likely to say that their weight was healthy compared to those who were not food stamp participants who recognized they were overweight. The food stamp participants who are food insecure tend to have a “moderating effect in weight change among persistently food insecure women” (Ploeg and Ralston 16). Other studies show that women who are involved in the food stamp program are likely to be four point five percentage points to ten percentage points more likely to be obese (Ploeg and Ralston